Summary

Mac Challenger computer game for Apple Macintosh II on a 3½ inch floppy disk in a cardboard box with a manual and two sheets of manufacturer's instructions.

The game is a flight simulation game, which enables a player to learn the complexities involved in flying a space shuttle.

The game Mac Challenger was released in 1985, following the first flight of the American space shuttle Challenger on 4 April 1983.

As a simulation game, the program treated a crash light-heartedly. It referred to thousands of gophers being rendered homeless by a crash, and to a 'grisley scene as gophers flee disaster area made by moron driven space shuttle. NASA disavows all knowledge of pilot's actions ...' On the backof the box it said somewhat prophetically: 'But watch out - this simulator is no toy. It moves like the real thing and the desert is only seconds away!'

On 28 January 1986, the space shuttle Challenger was launched on its tenth flight, but broke up 73 seconds into the flight, with the resulting death of all seven astronauts on board. It was the first space shuttle to be destroyed in an accident during a mission. The contrast between crashing in simulation and crashing in reality was stark and is a reminder of the distinction between real life and computer environments.

Physical Description

Apple Macintosh game Mac-Challenger on a 3½ inch floppy disk in a cardboard box with a manual.

Significance

This is a Macintosh game, whose developers took early advantage of the graphic user interface.

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